I have done extensive work beyond academia. I have conducted research to inform policymaking and development interventions, and disseminated my analysis through blogs, reports, and media appearances.
Connecting with Constituents? The use of WhatsApp during Uganda’s 2021 elections (WFD)
In collaboration with Grace Natabaalo, Jamie Hitchen, and a team of research assistants, we looked at how parliamentary aspirants in Uganda’s 2021 elections used WhatsApp, and what opportunities this created for political campaigning, organising, and accountability. Our findings were shared with WFD and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).
Report: “Connecting with constituents? Parliamentary aspirants’ use of WhatsApp in Uganda’s 2021 ‘scientific’ election”, by Eloïse Bertrand, Grace Natabaalo, and Jamie Hitchen, May 2021.
Blog: “Short on strategy. WhatsApp use in the Ugandan elections” by Grace Natabaalo, Lulu Jemimah, Jamie Hitchen, and Eloïse Bertrand, Democracy in Africa, 11 January 2021.
Mobilisation, negotiation, and the transition in Burkina Faso (USIP)
I produced a special report for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) analysing mobilisation and negotiation processes during the 2014 insurrection and subsequent transition in Burkina Faso.
Report: “Mobilization, Negotiation, and Transition in Burkina Faso” by Eloïse Bertrand, Special Report n°491, March 2021. (Aussi disponible en français)
The Implementation of Election Observation Recommendations in Sub-Saharan Africa (WFD)
In collaboration with Susan Dodsworth and Jamie Hitchen, we conducted a mixed-method study of what determines whether recommendations mades by Election Observation Missions (EOMs) are implemented in five African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda). This study was funded by WFD, as part of a broader partnership with them and the University of Birmingham on the Political Economy of Democracy Promotion.
Report: “Learning from Success: The Implementation of Election Observation Recommendations in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Susan Dodsworth, Eloïse Bertrand, and Jamie Hitchen, September 2020.
Governance, Development, and Security in the G5 Sahel (NATO)
I co-authored an OPEN publication for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s Allied Command Transformation. This focused on governance and development prospects in G5 Sahel member countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger).
Report: “Understanding the G5: Governance, Development and Security in the Sahel” by Eloïse Bertrand and Nic Cheeseman, Vol. 3, n° 2, Spring 2019.
Research consultancies for NGOs
I was the co-founder of AREA Consulting, a small London-based company providing research and evaluation services to non-profits, and worked as a consultant for a number of organisations, including Oxfam, Plan, Freedom House, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and Search for Common Ground.